


The Founding of Nico di Angelo

by restartmyheart



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Nico di Angelo, Confident Nico di Angelo, Everybody i can think of that's necessary is here, Gen, Happy Nico di Angelo, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Past Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-03-29 02:54:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13917864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/restartmyheart/pseuds/restartmyheart
Summary: Nico is not going to let this slide.He has been judged by his parentage, he has been judged by his abilities, his basic rights and wants in life have been ignored, and that's not even fucking half of it.So when his boyfriend, his significant annoyance, his sunshine, his fucking will to live cheats on him and chooses the other guy; he draws the fucking line.When success is the best revenge, and the fact that motherfucker told him to his face that he was a whiny, needy, sad little loser that couldn't get over himself, Nico couldn't help but think;Bring it on, bitch.





	1. Enter Player 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first story and I'm 100% open to constructive criticism!

I was worried.

Well, everyone was at least a little worried, really. We all sat in the mess hall, even though lunch just ended. Nobody cares if it's us anyway. Nico just stepped into the Apollo cabin, planning to surprise Will since he was supposed to be training at the time. Literally just moments after he walked into the cabin seemingly made of gleaming gold, loud shouts erupted, breaking through the semi-traquility of the relatively quiet day. None of the us caught the exact words said, but we could mostly comprehend words such as "dare", "much better" and "over". Said by who, I couldn't discern. Followed by Nico kicking the doors of cabin seven down and stomping out with a livid yet crestfallen look on his face, even leaving decently sized cracks in the ground he treaded on.

So, you know, we were worried for a rightful reason.

"Shit, Jace should I call Reyna and Hazel? This sounds bad." Percy asked me worriedly. "Not now. It's probably just a misunderstanding, and they're busy anyway, we'll see them when they arrive to visit next week." I answered him, "We should probably just leave him be for a while, you saw how pissed he looked." I suggested, staring at Nico's back as he stomped off to the Hades cabin.

"Um, guys? We should probably fix those cracks in the ground too, right?" Annabeth asked, pointing to the gaping cracks in the ground, the deepest probably going around 30 feet deep.

"Umm, yeah probably." I took one last fleeting look at the small silhouette of the tiny mad Italian. It's been a month and a half after the war and Nico had begrugingly decided to stay at camp with us. I just hope whatever just happened didn't make him change his mind.

 

* * *

 

I don't know.

I'm mad. Pissed. Fuming. Livid.

I'm sad. Dejected. Melancholy. Crestfallen.

I'm ok. Fine. Relieved. Satisfied.

I'm spiteful. Unforgiving. Vengeful. Vindictive.

I'm... empty. I don't care.

I feel everything and nothing.

Is this how one feels when their lover cheats and tells them their entire relationship was because of a dare then stayed with them out of pity? I kinda thought people don't feel kind of happy over a break up like that...

While I laid on my bed in my own cabin, tears falling rapidly down my face (Of what emotions exactly, don't ask me I have no clue) voices battle for dominance inside my mind.

**_This is your fault! You're pathetic. Who would ever really want you?_ **

_Think of Jason, Hazel, Percy, Reyna. Remember how they care about you and what they would do for you._

**Will is pathetic. All you've done for him and this asshole repays like that?**

**_What have you ever even done for him? That's right. Absolutely nothing._ **

**You don't need that little bitch. You've been through hell you fucking idiot. You got this.**

_Will may not care for you like you thought he did, but there are others who do. Most importantly; you do. That's all you need._

Surprisingly, the positive voices win over. I mean, they are kinda right. I don't need Will. No. 

 _But Will needs me._ The little intrusive thought brings my train of thought  out of wack, but at the same time it got me thinking. Will doesn't need me. He said it himself: "Pathetic and needy. You only hold people back and you can't even get over yourself even though people care. I don't know why anyway." 

The thought made my blood boil like I just drank Phlegethon water. No way. Not happening. _"Pathetic and needy",_ I'll fucking show him. I'll show him just what he's missing. I'll **make**  him need me. 

Two people can play this game and player 2 just entered.

It's on.

 


	2. Let the Game Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would really appreciate feedback!! hope you like it!

After writing a short but hopefully satisfying note, I've decided to try and shadow travel again.

On second thought, that might not have been that of a good idea to do something that would drastically drain your energy after not using it for almost two months.

But then again, I only stopped because Will pretty much ordered me to. And since he's not the boss of me...

 

* * *

 

As I landed in a tiny heap of black Italian shadows behind my cabin, I sliently thanked the gods nobody could see me. Since I've been sleeping more often recently, I didn't feel the need to pass out. Though that didn't mean the anvils suddenly chained to my eyelids suddenly disappear and I'm fine.

After a bit, I shook off the sudden desperate need to collapse. Not entirely, of course, but most, leaving only a slight feel of drowse I can just ignore.

I walked over to the strawberry fields, where the Aphrodite kids were working right now, hiding in the shadows to make sure nobody saw me. I made a beeline straight for one person. 

"Hey Mitchell." I said, stepping out of the shadows quietly behind the son of Aphrodite. The boy practically screams and I can't help but burst into laughter. He blushes softly as he realizes it's only me and punches my shoulder. "It's not funny!" he exclaims. "Sure it's not." I rasp out as I stop myself from laughing more, still smiling a little. Mitch smiles, "It's nice to see you laughing though. What's up?" he asks. "Umm..." I hesitate. "Well, can I just tell you on the ride there?" 

Mitchell looked confused for a moment, "Sure, I guess. Ride where?"

"5th avenue."

 

* * *

 

When I told Mitchell of Will's... _affair_ , I don't think I've ever seen the guy more pissed. The hour and a half it took to get from Long Island to Manhattan, he considerably cooled off and said he was 100% willing to help me out with this shit, "But why not someone like Piper or Drew?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Eh, I guess I just trust you to not make me look like a Ken doll."

During the car ride, me and Mitchell formulated a plan. We would go shopping for clothes and such now, then Mitchell would bring my new clothes back to camp, explain everything to Lou Ellen and get her to charm them or something to get them to always fit me no matter how much I grow. I said I wanted to have some alone time and do whatever for a bit, and stay at a hotel somewhere, while also working out, eating more, the works. Even though I had been sleeping and eating more recently, I was less thin than before, but I still resembled a stick. I thanked the gods when Mitchell didn't object and make me stay at camp. I really need to do me for a bit.

When we eventually arrived at 5th avenue, Mitch made a beeline for this classy, modern-looking shop. "C'mon Neeks! This place is be perfect!" he exclaimed excitedly.

 As we entered the store, Mitch started grabbing at different clothes, "Nico, would you be open to lighter colors? How about something that isn't so baggy?" 

"Whatever you think is best. Just don't make me look like a skinny black-haired surfer Ken." I joked. He laughed a little.

We spent a solid hour and a half in there before he  _finally_ decided we could go pay. When we dumped everything onto the cashier desk, I saw his hand move to his pocket where he keeps his wallet. "Oh no you don't. I'm paying." I said. Mitchell's head snapped to me, "What? No way! I got it." he objected. "Don't worry, you know I'm loaded, trust me. It's my stuff anyway." I insisted. "How much for all of it?" I asked the cashier. "Uh, $250 sir." 

Before Mitchell could react at the price, I whipped out a black card. "Here." The cashier was obviously baffled I had something so elite, but he checked it anyway.

When we left, Mitchell looked at me with the same bafflement, but with a bit of awe. That combination made for a good fish impersonation. "W-what was that? How did you get a black card!?" 

I shrugged, "My dad gave it to me as a gift. It's actually unlimited. My dad said he wanted me to have whatever I wish." He was really making an effort to get to know me better. I never really used it too much as money isn't too important to me, but I am grateful for it. I know I'm probably going to need to use it a lot more often.

Mitchell looked surprised. Honestly, I would be too. "Huh. That does make sense. I'm jealous." he joked. I chuckled a little.

"Thanks, by the way. For helping me out." I thanked him. "It's really no problem, Nico. I'm only too happy to help you get back at Will you little savage." he said with a grin. He stepped into Jules-Albert's car, who I summoned to take him back to camp. "Hey, you're not gonna tell anyone about this, right?" I ask. "Of course not! Lips are sealed." He said as he maid a motion with his hand, like zipping up his mouth. I chuckle.

"See you, Mitchie." I say. "See you, Neeks!" he said back as the window closed and Jules-Albert drove off.

I sigh. 

Let's see how this goes.

I can't fucking wait.


	3. Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW. I HAVE FAILED ALL OF YOU. ALL THAT ONLY WANT TO SEE NICO BE CONFIDENT AND HAPPY AND I HAVE FAILED YOU! I'M SORRRRYYYYYYYYYY

"WHERE IS HE!?" Reyna and Hazel simultaneously screamed as they ran into Camp Half Blood, straight towards Percy and Jason, everyone else being busy at the moment. They had jumped on the quickest and most convenient route to Camp Half Blood the moment they heard of the rumours surrounding the Solangelo break up. Of course, Aphrodite's loud wails sought to this. Neither of them paid any attention as they accidentally almost bumped into Mitchell.

Jason piped up quickly once he noticed they were primarily looking at him, "Their cabins!" he definitely did not squeak, knowing immediately it wasn't only one they were talking about. Percy suddenly seemed to have realized something though. He ran in Reyna and Hazel's paths like a seaweed brain, "YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO WILL!" he burst out quickly.

 _"And why not?"_ Reyna asked, threateningly calm.

Percy, like an idiot, gathered up all his strength (It's kinda weird that he'd just let his mouth run in front of an all-powerful being but pause in fear infront of two pissed women, TBH.), and answered. "It would ruin Nico's life! If you do anything to Will, it'd show him Nico wasn't able to handle it himself and needed help! Nico's got this under control, I can promise you."

Reyna looked seriously pissed, but ultimately saw his point and agreed not to do anything ( _"Yet."_ ). "Guys! Come look at this!" Hazel exclaimed, holding up a piece of paper as she ran back to Percy and Jason and Reyna from the general direction of Nico's cabin. They were a little surprised, nobody even saw her leaving. Jason quickly jogged over, "Is the note from Nico? What's it say?" Jason asked worriedly. Nico's been doing a lot better and the last thing he wanted to hear was that all the progress made was undermined and Nico decided to leave, or worse...

 

_Hey guys_

_Just know I'm not leaving permanently_

_I just need some time to myself_

 

_Nico_

 

It was short and straight to the point, but it succeeded to relax the worried four's previously tensed muscles, at least a little.

"So, what? Can we check up on him maybe? Just an IM?" Percy questioned, eager to see how Nico was doing. He hoped Nico wasn't planning to sleep on the streets or forget to eat, or just plainly revert back to the broken soldier Nico was recovering from so well. If Nico gave the a-ok, he can't even begin to describe what he'd do to that filthy blond sunfuck!

Nico appeared on the slightly misty rainbow screen, shirtless with a pristine white bath robe wrapped around his still-slightly-bony body and a towel drying his hair. He appeared to be in a foggy bathroom, obviously just finished with a hot shower. He glanced at the iris message for a moment, then his eyes widened and his neck snapped back to the four on the other side of the IM. "Guys!" he yelped in surprise, almost dropping his other towel.

While the four of them could never see Nico in any other way than a brother, they were obviously still a little embarrassed to see him in such a position. Well, Reyna and Hazel, of course. Jason couldn't give more than two fucks about it and Percy cares even less. "Hey Neeks!" Percy exclaimed excitedly, relieved.

Nico's brows furrowed a little before ultimately relaxing, "Uh, hey guys..." he said. "I guess you guys realized I wasn't leaving permanently since nobody's yelling or crying, so what's up?"

Despite Nico's light, questioning tone, Hazel noticed her older brother's eyes a little redder. Her face drooped, "Nico..." she sighed. "We just wanted to check up on you. We know you want some space, but you know you can always come to us, right?"

Nico's eyes softened and his lips quirked up into a soft smile, "Of course I do. And I'll forever be grateful to you guys for that." he answered. He saw the way caring eyes and warm smiles grew like moss on their faces, and it made his heart swell to see how his friends cared for him so much. _Family,_ a tiny voice at the back of his mind corrects, _Your family._

"How long will you be gone for?" Reyna asked eagerly. "Probably two to three weeks or so. A month at the very, very most. Summer's just started a few weeks ago, so I'll still have a lot of time to hang out with you guys." Nico answered as honestly as possible. He had a lot of plans, most focusing around his own betterment. So while he wanted to go through with all of his plans his top priority was his friends and family, and he was determined to hang with all of them. Especially now.

Jason smiled at him, "Well, one more question?"

"Shoot." Nico said. Jason's smile turned into an excited, almost crazed grin, "Can we fuck Will up?" he asked hopefully. The others immediately following suit, "Oh! Please Nico?" Percy begged, dragging out the plead and even using his infamous baby seal eyes. Even Hazel looked surprisingly eager, even for her.

Nico chuckled a little. While it was obvious he would have happily inclined to their wishes, he had made a substantial amount of plans focused on revenge on Will too. "While I'd be estatic to see that, I've got plans for that." he said deviously. The four demigods on the other side of the IM were obviously disappointed, but also delighted to hear Nico had a plan. Nico and Percy always had similar ideas and plans; they were crazy and almost illogical, but they always, by whatever reason, _always_ worked. Even if it failed it sometimes worked in their favour.

Nico saw the gleams in their eyes and before any of them could even open their mouths he quickly shot them down, "Oh no. I'm not telling a single thing. Not yet, at least." He chuckled a little as they groan. Well, obviously not Reyna but she still looked very disappointed. "Well, seeing as I'm almost completely dry now and I haven't even put on lotion yet, could I maybe go now?" Nico asked, his brow raised.

Reyna smiled at him. It seems as though everyone was smiling ~~today~~ right now. "We'll see you in two to three weeks and hopefully not any later, okay?"

Nico smiled back. At all of them. "Yeah. I promise." He really didn't want to be first to hang up this time, but he had things to do and over a dozen new skin and face products to try.

 

* * *

 

Dear Gods I have so much crap to get used to. I've already dried off and pulled on a new pair of black silk boxers that were seriously comfy, and now I need a damn list to keep track of this new routine I have to make a  _habit_ in my life. I now have a new respect for all the people in the world who doing this mattered to. Now that includes me. 

I grabbed a list I had written before my shower on some of the hotel's paper off my desk. The room I chose was a really nice suite in one of the higher-end hotels in Las Vegas. Yes, I know I had originally planned to stay in a hotel in New York but I just couldn't help it! Over 50% of the world's biggest hotels are in Vegas and there's nothing holding me back from staying in one. It's just a few shadow-travels across the country away and it's not as though I need to travel from NY to here daily! There was even a mirror above the main king sized bed, and when I laid under that and just looked at myself in that mirror I felt like a damn god. I just really need to believe that right now.

I had over a dozen new products I need to incorporate into my life:

-4 different lotions that I was supposed to put on scheduled days of the week (They all dried quickly so I never felt sticky, thank gods)

-4 different face masks and one eye mask, scheduled for once a week

-1 bottle of moisturizer

-This exfoliating bubble bath that I've already used  ~~and it's kinda fun~~

-This thing called primer? It makes your face smooth whenever you want to go out... or something?

-This concealer that's meant to hide your eye bags

-2 face washes, one for before bed and one for after

By the gods, is it even ok to do this much? I squeezed some of one of my lotions and spread it over almost my whole body, leaving out some of my face (Are you supposed to include that?) and my butt and dick (Are you supposed to include _that?_ ). I chose to wear some dark navy blue wash jeans, a dark grey and black raglan long-sleeved shirt I rolled the up to the elbows, a black leather jacket and black air jordans. Mitchell suggested I wore lighter colors, but he didn't say _how much_ lighter exactly. I mean, it's significantly lighter than the all-black attire I usually wore before, so it kinda counts.

I put on moisturizer and I applied some concealer to my eye bags. Concealer sounds so easy to do but if Mitch hadn't shown me how to do it I would have done it so wrong. I took a quick look at the nearest mirror which happened to be a floor-length wall mirror and quickly fixed my hair a little so it looked less like a raccoon's nest. I really need to get a hair cut soon, my hair was already shoulder-length. I looked around for a hair tie that might've been left by a previous tenant or something before quickly giving up. It was like trying to find a needle in a hundred haystacks. I guess I'm just gonna buy one later.

I stepped into the elevator in my room and rode down to the lobby. I nodded to the desk clerks and tellers and to the doorman as I left. I made a quick detour from my destination to a 9/11 and quickly bought some hair ties. After I tied my hair up into a small ponytail I made it to the electronics store. Yes, the electronics store.

I'm gonna buy a phone, a tablet, a laptop and a target on my back. While I'm obviously pretty worried, I've made up my mind about it. Plus, Annabeth carries around a phone, doesn't she? If she can do it than obviously I can too. Even though I could literally count as a senior citizen I'm also technically a teenager. I know how to work gadgets and everything and it's not as if I can't pay the phone bill. An employee around my age introduced himself as Remy and showed me to the phone area which I wanted to buy first. 

Remy showed me the nicest phones and I eventually chose one with a lot of cool features, like being able to go into a certain app when a certain gesture was done or symbol was written on the screen while off and on and more. The laptop I chose was similar, since it could even be a touchscreen and you could fold it up into an iPad. I didn't even need a tablet now but I chose to buy one anyway because why not. 

The phone case I chose was a black heat-sensitive thermal phone case, just in case someone might snoop around, you know? Plus, it did look like a nice plain black when nobody's touched it and it looks cool even when someone has. The case for the tablet I chose was the same. The laptop was the most expensive one being $1000 with the 50% off sale, which was pretty lucky of me. The total price was $1,574 and I quickly paid with my black card.

As I walked back to the hotel, I decided against it and ducked into a dark alleyway. I shadow-traveled to my room and quickly dropped off my new things in the spacious living room, though I did decide to bring my new phone with me.

I came across a surprisingly quaint little café as I searched for somewhere nice to just sit. With the reputation of Vegas I had almost forgotten that not everything here was absolutely crazy. I stepped in and up to the counter where an employee greeted me, and I decided on a cream cheese donut and a latte.

I decided to wait in a booth inside before sitting outside once I had my order. In the meanwhile I logged into the cafes free Wi-Fi and downloaded the main social medias like Instagram and Snapchat. Tumblr too because from what I've heard from modern teenage ghosts that app is weird as hell and that sounds perfect. While waiting for those I also decided to check what my number was and all the apps that were already pre-downloaded that I might need, y'know, the works. Soon enough my name was called out and I picked up my order and instead of going back to the booth, I sat on a table on the roof of the little cafe where some tables were.

As I sat watching the darkening sky and the indescribable sunset, a calm chilly breeze tousling my hair a little, and biting into the best damn donut I've had in a while, I thought; I could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this satisfies you guys at least a little, I am so sorry. It's kind of longer than the usual chapter even though this is more of a filler and I'd really appreciate it if you guys gave feedback :)


	4. I Think I'm Happy

Nico understands why everyone cuts their hair after something big happened in their life.

After watching absolutely every movie or show on Netflix he found about 60% of the main protagonists all cut their hair after the climax or another big event, and he just wanted to know what was up with that.

Now, standing in an unusually big hotel bathroom with a pair of scissors in his hand, snipping away at an imaginary line he could say this was surprisingly therapeutic. It was like a weight on his shoulders he lifted off himself and threw across the room, like every heavy burden he ever had dropped to the floor in the form of soft jet black locks. If Annabeth knew she'd probably tell him about some interesting fact about psychology and hair cuts but he wasn't thinking of that right now.

He knew that though he was taking great care he's probably going to need to visit a hairstylist sometime this week, but he didn't necessarily mind. He decided to have a ~~spa day~~ self-care day that he so desperately needed too, but he'll get to that soon.

Nico's been having... fun. The past week was therapeutic and freeing and he desperately needed that. He came and went as he wished, did whatever as he so pleased. There were some monsters and other obstacles but it's all in the life of a demigod. There was nobody to judge him or his parentage, nobody that could ever stop him. He was even going to driving school, so he didn't need to waste energy on shadow-traveling or going through the hassle of summoning Jules-Albert. He was going to go back to Camp sometime next week, and for once, he was excited.

Nico would never admit it to anyone, but he was also excited about the thought of glowing-up. He was a pale and angry walking corpse for a long time, and he'd never entertained the prospect of someone actually liking him, or at least thinking he was attractive (He'd thought of Percy, of course, but it was only ever a fantasy) until Will, but that was a lie. He knew tall height was in his genetics, and he was excited for the possibility of being tall. His mother was a tall woman, and his sister was too. Even his father is 6' 2. He also wanted to get a little tanner and more well-muscled, and he'd spent a substantial amount of time out, going to the gym in the hotel or hiking or going to restaurants and so many other things. He didn't want to be very bulky but he at least wanted a six pack (That he knew he would already have if he had anything to build it on).

Not that it was the standard of male beauty, but he just really wanted to feel hot, so what was stopping him. Also if he got tall and built he couldn't wait to see everyone's faces, especially Valdez'.

ANYWAY, back to the original topic at hand, his hair. As Nico dropped the scissors and inspected the after effects, he supposed it didn't look too bad. Very uneven, but at least he has no bald spots. Nico smiled a little at his reflection, and he quickly cleaned up his cut hair.

His now short jet black hair was just as smooth and silky as it looked, compared to the birds nest of shaggy baby bat wings he had previously (Don't tell anyone he used that description). His severely sunken eyes were now lit and rose, the plain but lovely brown obvious instead of glaring blacks similar to voids. His deathly pale skin was now a healthy light tan he wanted to keep working on and his small gaunt figure now had at least a little more meat and muscle, enough to be noticeable. He even put on a few inches. He was honestly proud of himself, he did so good. He wasn't healed just yet, oh definitely not just yet, but he was getting there. Slowly, very very slowly, but it was happening.

All these material things he was trying to do, they were helping. He would never be able to heal completely from so much when only thinking of physical self-care and such but it was a really good start and he knew he deserved this. He deserves more than what the fates chose for him, he deserves good. And gods be damned if he wasn't going to let himself have it.

 

* * *

 

On any given day Hades, being his gentlemanly self, would knock or give any other polite indication he was there when visiting any estate.

Today was not one of those days.

Hades literally _kicked_ open the doors of Aphrodite's palace on Olympus approximately 18 seconds after hearing a rumour that has been going over the Greek and Roman godly worlds that Will Solace, son of Apollo and famed doctor, broke up with and cheated on the infamous Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, hero of Olympus and Ghost King.

" _Aphrodite..._ " Hades whispered upon seeing her sat in her mostly pink living room sniffling. Aphrodite jumped, turning to face him and made a sound similar to a squeak. It was clear she was distraught, but she forbid anything showing it appear on her face other than pretty tears that did nothing against her makeup. He walked over to her normally, but to her it seemed like he was stomping over so her head would be easier to decapitate.

"Uh, h-hello Hades, w-what brings you here? Aphrodite asked, trying to play it off like she wasn't scared, and failing miserably.

"Is it true? You and I know what I'm talking about and what I want to know _is it true_?" Hades asked eagerly. If it was, he's got some shit to do.

Incapable of saying anything, Aphrodite just nodded. Hades growled, "All I needed to hear."

He quickly shadow-traveled away. Now as divine father and son, Hades had a slight connection with Nico. Other gods have this with all their children, which is the reason gods can communicate with their children through dreams sometimes, but few ever realize you can do more with it than just that ~~because you would need to care about your children for that~~. Hades was one of the very few to ~~care enough to~~ realize that while you couldn't directly speak telepathically or anything through this connection, you could be faintly aware of the other's location if you concentrated hard enough, and other things like so.

Hades quickly appeared at an alleyway just by where Nico was. As he entered on to the street, he quickly shape-shifted into a more mortal look; he appeared to be around 44 years old, to look more like his son's father. His robe of souls suffering in eternal damnation changed into a black suit with vertical dark grey pinstripes and a white dress shirt and a matching dark grey tie. He glanced at a black matte watch he materialized on his right wrist, finding it was 9:30 pm.

He saw just a glance of Nico through the window of a very nice and classy restaurant, and as he stepped inside the upscale building, Nico’s eyes snapped to him, his eyes widening in immediate recognition.

“Dad?” Nico asked, his head just barely tilted in confusion and sat at a two-person table, a menu in his hands. “Hey son,” Hades smiled softly at his son, “May I sit?”

Nico only nodded at him, “Uh, do you… want a menu? Can you even eat this stuff?” Nico asked handing his father another menu. Hades sat down across from him and took the menu, looking through it. “Well, we obviously don’t necessarily need to eat mortal food but nothing would happen if we do so.” Hades answered his son.

Neither spoke another word for a few moments, the awkward silence festering to where Nico couldn’t let it go on, “Why… why are you here?” he asked, confused and surprised about his father’s appearance. Hades looked up from the menu, pulling his lips between his teeth for a moment, “I heard of your break up.” He answered. Nico just opened his mouth but before he could say anything Hades interrupted him, “Just so you know, that filthy son of Apollo will have a place in hell specifically for him.” Hades smirked, and Nico saw how obvious the hate and sadistic excitement for what was to come to his ex even in the afterlife made him smile and even got him to chortle just a little. Will was so going to get fucking screwed.

The waiter quickly came over and conversation halted as they told him their orders, but once the waiter left conversation started back up again as if nothing disturbed them.

Hades smiled at his son, “You’re smiling, your look less tired, less skinny and you've grown a little, ” he notes in a wistful tone. “How… how have you been doing, Nico?” he asked. Nico looked at the god, “Yeah… I’ve been doing good dad. Like, really good.” Nico grinned, teeth and all, “It’s just- it’s been so freeing! Going out, eating more, sleeping more, just getting a break from it all and just… do me, I guess. It’s so nice and therapeutic, just taking some time for _me_ and only _me._ ”

The god smiled at son, full of pride and glee. “You’re so happy. Even happier than you were before. I’m… I’m so proud of you, son. You really did it. You’re the exception, you’re happy.”

Nico smiled at his father, “Yeah,” he sighed happily, “I’m not completely healed or anything, of course, but… I am. I think I really am.”

Their orders came, and as they ate they talked like father and son do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really super satisfied with how I wrote this chapter but I hope you guys like it! This is only my first fic and I can't improve without any feedback so please leave a comment. thanks :)


	5. Round One, Commence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick shoutout to Ember6812!! I am so sorry but due to popular demand on other polls I made on other places I won't be able to use the hairstyle you wanted but that doen't make me love the amazing fanart any less! ♥♥

“Who has the nicest handwriting here?” Annabeth shouted over the bustling bodies of the almost-large crowd of friends Nico had accumulated after the war; the nine minus Nico, the Hedges, and even a few of Wills’ friends that Nico hung out with when he was dating Will. “The banner needs to be perfect!”

Upon hearing the news Nico was coming back to camp in a few days, it was actually Piper who had the idea to have a makeshift welcome back party for him. Almost all of Camp Half-Blood (And even plenty of Romans) wanted to help out with the party, since Nico had become very popular and famous after his roles in the last two wars, especially after opening up just a little. But since Nico wouldn’t like a party mostly filled with people he didn’t know, the nine, who were running the whole thing, decided to keep it a private thing between friends and family.

Mellie volunteered to write out the banner in her prettiest calligraphy. And since Piper insisted on pulling at least one or two strings, a medium-sized cake and other food was beautifully made by a top chef, one of her most favorite and was being taken to the table from the delivery truck a few blocks away from camp by coach Hedge, Frank, Percy and Reyna. Jason was flying and Lou Ellen was using some light magic around an area of grass and forest just by the Hades cabin, hanging up the most beautiful and tasteful monotonously coloured decorations that existed. They wanted to keep at the very least the banner made by them, because they didn't want it all done by anybody else and wanted to _really_ do something for Nico.

At the very most they were going to let anyone who wanted write maybe their names or something else on the banner, as long as it was short and quick. _To show Nico people care!_ Cecil and Hazel had insisted.

Nico was supposed to be arriving in around two hours, and they all wanted to make this the very best, just for him.

 

* * *

 

Nico was almost freaking out. Almost.

I was supposed to be going back to Camp in a few hours, and I was at the very least _nervous_. A small, tiny, infinitesimal voice in the back of my head poured words of doubt into my ears, _They're not going to like seeing you again,_ it kept on saying, _They're happier with you gone._

I quickly squashed it like a bug under an imaginary combat boot, jumping up and down on it for good measure. I am SO not going to think about that right now. Not when I was going to see my friends, who also cconsider me a friend. Because I have friends, which is pretty much a synonym of family, and they care about me as much as I care about them.

As I got out of a quick 15-minute bath and went on with the rest of my carefully-plotted routine, I thought of my friends' reactions to how I was doing now.

My father was happy and proud I was doing better, and I pretty much expected the same from them. Jason would probably try and squeeze the life out of me and shed a single tear, I laughed a little at the thought. Annabeth would look me up and down and either smile or compliment me, probably both. Before, Hazel would only move her eyes up a little to look at me and now she would need to actually crane her neck, and I'm sure she'd be happy about it. Frank probably would cheerfully compliment me. McLean would be expected to freak over my new apparent sense of style, and she would, but only because I used to not care about it as much as she didn't.

As I thought of Percy and Valdez, I almost died of laughter right there while putting clothes on. Those two idiots would freak! Percy would probably scream and maybe throw something at me because I was only a few inches short of his height already, and Valdez actually would try to throw something at me because I'm taller than him when he used to be taller than me!

I laughed as I imagined their hysterical faces. I decided to have a breakfast of a slice of strawberry shortcake and an iced coffee before checking out, making sure to bring a few slices and a homemade fruit shake on the road. Jules-Albert was driving today since I wasn't even old enough to get a dam learners permit yet (Don't tell anyone I said that stupid joke).

I knew going back to Camp didn't just mean I saw my friends, it also meant seeing that unfaithful bitch and his new boyfriend. I kinda pity Mason, hope he doesn't mind faking an orgasm.

 

* * *

 

I stepped out of the car, walking into Camp. A few campers stared at me as I strolled through, heading towards a random camper, "Hey, do you you know where the seven are?" The camper, who I didn't recognize, nodded and pointed in the general direction of the cabin area, "Yeah, they're by the Hades cabin."

"Thanks." I quickly said before heading over. As I neared the cabins, I saw Jason Grace in all his glory, flying around the site as if patrolling it. The second he saw me walking over, a huge grin overtook his pretty little face, before a _zap_ of random lightning striked the square foot of ground right under him. Where a rumble of thunder usually accompanying a strike of lightning would be, a greeting of "Hey, Neeks!" was instead. Well, that was totally subtle.

I smiled a little as I walked over to him, "Hey, Jace." Jason dropped to the ground and ran over to me, his arms wide in but his eyes questioning. I rolled my eyes at him, but I spread my arms out too. Jason laughed and squeezed me like a lifeline, "G-Grace, I can do a lot except live without air." I half-jokingly gasped, he was seriously squeezing my lungs.

He chuckled but evidently let go, "Sorry, Neeks, it's just- well, you look so good!" Jason said happily, grinning from ear to ear. Jason kept a hand on my shoulder and started walking, probably trying to subtly either lead me towards or away from something. Jason proved me wrong though, when he used his hands to cover my eyes, "We have a surprise for you!"

"Huh?" I questioned. Jason just shushed me.

After a few minutes Jason stopped and spoke, "OK, you ready?" he said as he turned me around.

"Uh, I guess." Jason removed his hands from my eyes and quickly turned me around. I'm never going to admit it to anyone, but the sight made my heart melt a little.

 

* * *

 

Nico di Angelo wore a light violet dress shirt with a loose black tie, a black jacket and black jeans with cuts at the knees. His hair was cut nicely, swooped out of his face stylishly. He seemed to have put on a few healthy pounds, his shoulders had broadened at lest just a teeny tiny little and as far as they could see, his ribs couldn’t be seen from under his skin. He had even put on a few inches that made him almost on par with Percy and Jason, which Annabeth remarked as almost impossible in three weeks unless some divine being decided to make him taller for some reason.

All in all, Jason cried of happiness on the inside, Hazel quietly squealed of happiness a little, Annabeth, Frank, Piper, Cecil, Lou Ellen and Mellie politely hugged and complimented him smiling all the while, Coach almost smacked a red handprint on his back, Percy shrieked like a harpy and Leo almost threw a wrench at him.

After the general chaos dialled down a bit, Nico saw Will Solace him-fucking-self, holding the hand of his newest boyfriend Jake Mason but paying absolutely no mind to him. His eyes were wide and his jaw slack, scanning Nico up and down. Nico, with great force, suppressed a smirk but his smug emotion was shown in his eyes, only visible to his friends.

 _Prep time is over,_ Nico thought, _round one, commence_ _._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I flopped a little around the end :( Also guys I'm going to the other side of the country soon and if you didn't know, my country has one of the lowest internet connections in the world and not many connections are as good as mine so it's gonna be a little harder to update.


	6. What Was The Main Thing That Happened Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here Edgar

Nico di Angelo, at this moment in time, just couldn't help feeling a little pathetic. The situation that was making him feel a little pathetic, was the fact that he sat in his cabin alone after a few hours being back at camp, formulating how he should go about his plans.

After jotting down a quick side note to get back to redesigning _this goddamn cabin_ , Nico went about his possibilities. His plans were petty, he couldn't lie, but he also couldn't bring himself to care.

He knew that with all the rumors about his and Will's break up, and Will and Mason going around and confirming them, Will's reputation was bound to come under fire. Nico knew his rep wasn't going to come out unscathed either but mostly it was Will. As much as he didn't like to admit it, the fact Nico was now a famous war hero gave him easy leeway amongst the godly world public.

He decided to tread lightly for a while, making Will regret that one choice of leaving Nico for Jake.

Nico had to admit, Jake Mason was an attractive guy. He had an average build, and his tanned skin was usually mostly clean, but when it was covered with oil and grime it usually only made him look a little hotter. His brown hair framed a cute and charming slight baby face, and his auburn eyes burned like a furnace reflecting the one he worked with. To be comepletely honest, he'd fuck him.

But now the problem comes from the need to upstage that _greatly_. Nico knew he was attractive, if the reactions from his friends and Will himself were anything to go by. He unconsiously smirked at the memory of Will’s astonished face. Obviously, he needed to play it off as if he gave no fucks while making Will give a fuck. With the help of his friends, it was gonna be like taking candy from a baby.

 

* * *

 

A sharp set of knocks echoed around the cabin, knocking Nico from his focused stupor. “Huh?” Nico shook his head, “Coming!” he called as he stood and walked over to his cabin door. As Nico opened the entrance, he saw the person calling for him was Annabeth. Nico smiled at her; after Nico confessed his dying crush on her boyfriend, the two had become surprisingly good friends. Nico was one of the few people to ever match her intelligence, even though he usually wasn’t as obvious about it. Sometimes when they see each other, they spout a random fact and whoever said one the other didn’t know wins.

She smiled at him too, “So dinner’s about to start, you coming?”

“Obviously.” Nico answered.

They walked to the mess hall, took some food, sacrificed a little and sat with the rest of the nine at the Poseidon table. As I took a seat beside him, Jason suddenly grinned. Nico raised a groomed brow, taking a sip of cranberry juice he had called for. Now that he noticed it, he looked around the table. Everyone was staring at him, with some form of excitement or glee painted on their faces. The silent question Nico hung in the air prompted Leo to answer first, “Dude, you’re eating. Like- your plate is full.”

He and Leo had also become pretty good friends too (He really did grow a lot, did he?). He somehow realized the Latino was much, much smarter than he let on. Not even like Percy, where in pretty much everyone that has met him _personally_ or see him in the heat of battle knows he's actually very smart but forget it 99.9% of the time. No, pretty much nobody has ever realized how skilled or smart he was, in favour of the dumb and funny persona he shows instead. He had grown though, alongside Nico.

Wait, this wasn't something to think about at dinner.

He looked down at his plate, and suddenly realized he had unconsciously filled it up; tender, juicy New York style steak with a side of various greens stared back at him.

He had stuck with his very necessary habit of eating even without anyone reminding him over the course of the weeks with the use of alarms and delicious food, such as McDonald's and other slightly healthier foods. He'd gotten used to it over time, and he remembered that the time he could've literally _forgotten_ to eat was _weeks_ ago when it felt like _years_.

"Huh," Nico said, looking back up at his friends, "Well, during the last few weeks I had never forgotten to eat or anything. I guess I just got used to it." He smiled softly, the other faces mirroring his.

“I mean, we obviously noticed you were probably eating more often since you pulled a Frank this afternoon, but it’s just kind of… surreal. Y'know, to not need to shove food down your throat.” Piper jokingly remarked, her head coming resting on her fist as she put her elbow on the table. Nico only silently snorted as the rest laughed, but Percy still kept his gaze on him.

"Can I hug you? I'm gonna hug you." Percy asked, already leaning across the table and opening up his arms somehow in a questioning way, asking for consent. Nico rolled his eyes, but opened up his arms. In seconds he was ambushed by the entire table. He groaned and rolled his eyes, his joy at the situation only shown by the small fond smile growing on his face like moss.

Across the pavilion, Nico saw Will Solace stab his fork into a piece of grilled chicken, not-so-subtly staring at the raven-haired son of Hades. He internally smirked and wrapped his arms around as much of his friends as he possibly could. To milk it a little he rested his head on top of Jason's, nestling the blond's head comfortably under his chin, the son of Jupiter reciprocating by nuzzling his head into the side of Nico's neck as he blushed faintly. Nico paused for a single moment, _Wait,_ he thought, _was this too much or...?_

At the sight of Will's very slowly reddening face as the son of the sun looked away to hide it and the fact he realized he kind of liked this position, he smirked, hiding it in the more important blonds' cropped hair, _Oh yes, definitely._

"Hey guys," Nico started, letting go after a few to-be-treasured moments. "Could you do me a favour?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SCHOOL HAS STARTED WHERE I LIVE AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I don't want to post even less frequently as I already do D :


	7. Completely Unnecessary Filler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit i'm sorry. it's been literal weeks and this chapter is so stupid and rushed and short it's not even 400 words and i'm so sorry that i disappointed you guys. i might as well have just discontinued this it's not even good anymore and i'm sorry and i promise i'll add more when it's ready and i'm sorry. i don't even have a good excuse and i had such a long time to be able to write more and i just couldn't and i suck and this sucks and god i'm so sorry

“Now you see this flex in my arm? This shows I’m about to disarm-” Nico was quickly cut off when an arrow narrowly missed his head and stabbed itself into the dirt. “WHAT THE FUCK!?” he shouted in panic and surprise as he dropped the Hephaestus-cabin-provided sword and whipped out his normal stygian and readied himself into a fighting stance by instinct.

Upon hearing a roaring laughter he sees coming from a _certain seaweed-brain with a bow in his hand_ he put his sword away again as he growled. “Don’t say the last word I said. Stay here, I’ll be back soon enough.” He said to the young demigods who he was training before stomping towards the hopelessly laughing son of Poseidon, who immediately snapped out of it.

“Neeks it was accident I promise!” he tried excusing himself before practically _feeling_ the “Mmhmm” where he stood. “But then it got really funny…”

Now, it was something that Nico had noticed not too long before, but amongst the small crowd of expert archers who were _still_ trying to at least help Percy not long-distance stab someone with a sharp stick was Will Solace, who was mostly there to give his young medical trainees a little more experience because something was _bound_ to happen.

And maybe he’d seem like a total douche if anyone knew as he picked up a bow and arrow and aimed. Before Percy could react, Nico let two arrows loose, using their shadows to guide them properly because while he was much better than Percy, he was no where near skilled enough to do this type of shot without help.

Percy dodged the first shot easily, which made him fall to the second one when it pinned his pant leg to the dirt and made him fall when he moved. He tumbled to the ground with an “Oof!”

Nico laughed heartily, satisfied with both his revenge.

 

* * *

 

 

Jason, Piper, and Leo sat on the top of the sleek roof of the Zeus cabin, spying on their prey.

Said prey, absolutely could not focus on his said task of training young, in favor of staring at his ex-mate as said mate put on a small show with unabashed excuse. This, by the look on the blond's face, was very entertaining.

"Pffftttt, look at his face!" Leo pointed, him and Piper snickering. Jason shushed them, not taking his eyes off Will through the lens of the specially-designed Leo-made binoculars. "Jace, dude, we're like miles away from both the training area and the ground; it's not like anyone's gonna hear us!" Leo smiled before snatching the binoculars from his friends' hands. He saw Nico finishing up with the small class of kids he was teaching since he was almost done anyway, and if it weren't for the fact Leo was staring directly into his face he wouldn't have even guessed that Nico was trying hard to not check Will's reaction _because he knows he was watching_.

Leo snickered, amused by it all. Piper snickered along with him, before pausing for a moment. “Leo…” she said, “Where’s that new camera you made?”

Leo suddenly paused, his lips slowly dropping down and his eyes slowly growing. Jason looked at Leo with exasperation, “You forgot the camera, didn’t you?”

At Leo’s very slow nod, Jason and Piper spared a single glance between each other before pushing Leo off the roof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did it. i added more. it could barely be considered more and after seeing how long it's been since i originally posted the first part of this i still feel like a failure but it's here.


End file.
